Automatic locking and unlocking of railway-carriage doors.



. M. EVANS. AUTOMATIC LOCKING AND UNLOCKING 0F RAILWAY CARRIAGE DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9. 1915.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

MORGAN EVANS, 0F LLANELLY, WALES.

AUTOMATIC LOCKING AND UNLOCKING 0F RAILVI'AY-OARRIAGE DOORS.

master.

Application filed August 9, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatli, Moneix Evans, a sub ject of His Majesty the King ofEngland, residing at Llanelly, in the county of Carmarthen, W ales, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Automatic Lockingand Unlocking of Railway-Carriage Doors, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to iinproven'ients in the construction ofapparatus for automatically locking and unlocking the doors of railwaycarriages, said apparatus being controlled by the motion of the carriageand of the heretofore proposed type comprising 1evers or catches forlocking the doors, a dynamo geared to one of the aXles of the carriage,and electrically connected to a solenoid or electro-magnet, operativeconnections between the armature of said solenoid or electro-magnet andthe levers or catches and springs or weights to oppose the operation ofthe solenoid. In such apparatus it has been proposed to pivot thelocking levers or catches on the carriage, or to rigidly connect thecatches on a longitudinally slidable bar mounted on the side of thecarriage and secured to the solenoid armature.

According to the present invention improved means are provided forconnecting the solenoid armature to slidable bars to which the lockinglevers are'pivotally con nected. Thus, the improved apparatus comprisesan electric generator driven from one of the axles of the carriage andelectrically connected to a solenoid, a rod secured to the armature ofthe solenoid, and jointed to a crank or arm on a transverse shaft.weight, spring, or otherwise automatically controlled levers on saidshaft, bars mounted to slide longitudinally on the sides of thecarriage, door locking levers pivoted on the car-' riage and jointed tosaid bars, and bell-crank levers pivoted on the sides of the carriageand jointed to the respective weight or spring controlled levers and theslidable bars.

The invention is hereinafter described with reference to theaccompanying drawing which is a partly sectional elevation of a railwaycoach having the improved apparatus applied thereto.

In carrying out the invention an electric generator 0, is mountedunderneath the coach. is adapted to be driven from one of the axles Pthereof in any suitable manner,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915. Serial No. 44,667.

and is electrically connected to a solenoid (4 also secured under thecoach. A rod 2) secured to the armature of the solenoid is j ointed toone end of a crank or arm 0, the other end of which is secured or formedon a shaft (Z mounted to turn axially in bearings fixed underneath thecoach. extends transversely from side to side of the coach and is fittedat each end with a lever 6 weighted as shown at 7', or provided with anysuitable means for automatically controlling the lever. Two bars 9 aremounted to slide longitudinally on the lower frame of the coach and oneon each side of the latter beneath the doors 72., and are jointed to thelower ends of locking levers 2' pivoted on the coach frame at 7' andhaving catches 7:; formed at their upper ends for engagement, when thedoc-rs are closed, within sockets or the like Z provided in said doors.Each of the bars 9 is jointed to one arm of a bellcrank lever m which ispivoted on the corresponding side of the coach frame at n and has itsother arm connected to the respective lever e.

In the drawing the parts of the apparatus are represented in thepositions they occupy when the carriage is moving and the doors arelocked. These positions are obtained as follows hen the train starts theelectric generator 0 is driven and energizes the solenoid a, thesolenoid attracts its armature and moves the rod 6 downward (normallythe armature is raised out of and above the coil of the solenoid), thusrocking the shaft 41 and the levers e thereon, the levers rock thebell-crank levers m which slide the bars 9 longitudinally, and said barsswing the levers 2' into their locking position, thus fastening all thedoors simultaneously. Reversely, as soon as the train comes to astandstill the electric generator 0 is stopped, the solenoid isthereupon deenergized and releases its armature, which is forced out ofthe coil automatically, as by the weights, and the parts of theapparatus are moved into their unlocking positions by means of theweights f thus releasing the catches from all the doors simultaneously.Similarly, in the event of the train being wrecked the locking mechanismreleases the levers a from the doors owing to the carriage being broughtto a standstill.

If desired, the locking levers i or bellcrank levers m may be detachablyjointed to the bars 9 in any suitable manner to The shaft (Z I enablethem to be readily disconnected therefrom in the event of accident orfor other causes thus allowing one or more of the doors to be openedindependently of the electrical apparatus.

The apparatus is foolproof owing to the fact that its action isautomatic and dependent upon the motion of the carriage and not upon thevigilance or attention of the driver, guard or other person. Thus alluncertainty of the proper operation of the apparatus is eliminated, anddanger and accidents to passengers and property are avoided.

What I claim as new and desire to secure Apparatus for automaticallylocking and unlocking railway carriage doors, comprising an electricgenerator driven from one of the axles of the carriage and electricallyconnected to a solenoid, a rod secured to the armature of said solenoidand jointed to a crank or arm on a transverse shaft, automaticallycontrolled levers on said shaft, bars mounted to slide longitudinally onthe sides of the carriage, door locking levers pivoted on the carriageand jointed to said bars, and bell-crank levers pivoted on the sides ofthe carriage and jointed to the respective automatically controlledlevers and slidable bars.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification.

MORGAN EVANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

